SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL ANALYSIS OF AGRICULTURAL WATER REQUIREMENTS IN THE GULF COAST OF THE UNITED STATES1

ABSTRACT: Competition for water resources is becoming an increasingly important issue in the southeastern U.S. The potential impacts of future precipitation and runoff estimated by a transient global climate model (HADCM2) on competing water resources in the Southeast has been conducted. Issues of agricultural management, irrigation water withdrawals, and water quality were studied over three time periods: 1974–1993, 2020–2039, and 2080–2099 in five water basins identified previously as exhibiting water-related problems. These basins, which encompass the boundary between Alabama and Mississippi, cover four important agricultural counties in Mississippi. Irrigation water requirements generated by crop growth models for corn, soybeans, and winter wheat were coupled with monthly runoff for the impacted basins estimated by the SWAT water balance model. The results of the study reveal that in the next 20–40 years water availability in the southern portions of the study area will decline as much as 10 percent during times when water requirements for agricultural production are crucial. Maintaining or expanding existing crop yields under future climate regimes may require additional irrigation water and increase competition among other uses such as domestic, industrial, recreational, and ecosystem quality.     

长白山低山丘陵区生态农业建设与小流域治理——以吉林省柳河试验区为例

吉林省柳河试验区是长白山低山丘陵区域的典型代表。本文在分析了该试验区的农业自然条件及其存在的主要问题的基础上,提出了生态农业建设与小流域综合治理的技术模式,并报道了初步实施结果     

鄱阳湖生态经济区农业循环经济发展综合评价

发展农业循环经济是鄱阳湖生态经济区建设的关键,农业循环经济发展的目标是实现农业生产经济效率和生态环境效率的双赢。应用DEA方法以评价循环农业发展的经济效率,采用农业生产的生态足迹以反映农业循环经济发展的生态效率。在此基础上,为同时体现农业循环经济发展的经济效率和生态效率,构造了区域农业循环经济发展评价的综合指数,并对鄱阳湖生态经济区的农业循环经济发展进行评价分析。结果表明,大部分地区存在农药化肥投入冗余、粮食单产不足以及农业生产的耕地足迹和牧草地足迹所占比重偏大等问题,为此必须在推广猪－沼－粮的同时,调整农业产业结构,着力发展猪（牛）－沼－果（渔）等循环农业模式,进而提高鄱阳湖生态经济区农业生产的投入产出效率,降低农业生产的生态占用     

基于农户调查的农用地流转影响因素研究——以重庆市典型区(县)为例

农用地流转是充分发挥土地利用效益,实现农业规模化生产和产业化经营的一种积极探索,采用参与式农户评估法,以重庆市典型区(县)为例,对农用地流转的影响因素进行了探讨。分析结果表明:缺乏规范的操作程序与农用地流转中介组织、缺乏完善的社会保障体系以及区位条件的差异是影响重庆地区农用地流转的主要因素。建立健全农用地流转相关政策和农村社会保障制度,加速城镇化进程和加强农村基础设施建设对重庆地区的农用地流转具有积极的推动作用。     

湖北省农地资源正外部性价值量估算——基于对农地社会与生态之功能和价值分类的分析

农地资源的正外部性直接或间接对人类福利产生影响,但由于市场机制的自身缺陷导致人们对其价值缺乏定量认识,致使农地资源得不到应有的保护,造成向城市的过度流转。以湖北省为例,在将农地资源正外部性划分为提供社会保障、保证粮食安全以及提供生态服务3个方面的基础上,以2006年为评估期日,尝试用市场价格评估的方法对其年价值和无限年期的总价值进行了估算。结果显示：2006年湖北省农地资源在提供社会保障方面的年价值及无限年期价值分别为87460元/hm2·a和34 70635元/hm2;粮食安全保障功能的年价值及无限年期价值分别为32209元/hm2·a和12 78135元/hm2;生态服务功能的年价值及无限年期价值分别为4 34855元/hm2·a和172 56151元/hm2。最终核算出湖北省正外部性的年价值总量及无限年期价值总量分别为5 54524元/hm2·a和220 04921元/hm2,这部分无法通过市场价格表现的价值大致与湖北省农地经济产出价值相当,甚至略高出5%~38%,无疑是农地价值中不容忽视的重要组成部分,应当引起土地管理者和社会决策者的充分重视。农地城市流转的失控和对农地保护的忽视实质上就是对农地正外部效用的抛弃和破坏,最终将阻碍社会经济的可持续发展。     

Environmental–geochemical characteristics of Cu in the soil and water in copper-rich deposit area of southeastern Hubei Province, along the middle Yangtze River, Central China

In this study, the natural Cu background concentration and Cu natural and anthropogenic contamination in soil, water and crop were investigated systematically in Huangshi area. The results show that regional geology is the dominant factor controlling the natural Cu background concentration in soil and water, and that pH is important to control the vertical distribution of Cu in soil under the same geographical and climatic conditions. The mineralization of rock bodies causes the natural Cu increase in soil and water, whereas, a large number of mining–smelting plants and chemical works are the main sources of Cu anthropogenic contamination. Cu in naturally and anthropogenically polluted soil displays differences in total and available contents, vertical distribution patterns and physico-chemical properties, the same happens in water.     

农业生产污染对经济增长绩效的影响程度研究——基于环境全要素生产率的分析

本文在使用单元调查评估法对中国农业污染物排放量进行核算的基础上,结合SBM模型、方向性距离函数和GML指数,对1995-2013年中国农业生产效率和全要素生产率进行测算,考察农业生产污染对农业经济增长绩效的影响。结果表明:1不考虑污染因素的农业经济增长核算方法忽略了农业生产污染造成的损失,导致农业全要素生产率被高估近一倍;2投入冗余和污染过度是农业生产无效率的主要来源,且后者对其影响更为明显;3中国农业生产率增长主要来自技术进步,技术效率对其促进作用有限;4考虑污染成本与否会对各地经济增长绩效评价产生较大影响,忽略污染因素可能导致政策偏误。     

Beyond a bottle of liquid: pesticide dependence in transitional rural China

Pesticide dependence is a major threat to food safety and local environment. Although numerous studies have explored different causes of pesticide dependence, few have examined how pesticides are locked into agricultural modernisation and rural transformation. Based on a case study of a Chinese village, this paper demonstrates how agricultural modernisation trajectory and rural changes have perpetuated the use of pesticides as necessities in agriculture as well as for farmers' livelihoods. Modern technologies, such as hybrid rice, conservation tillage, changes in crop structure, and reduction of intercropping all contribute highly towards pesticide dependence. The household responsibility system in China has provided the institutional foundation for increased pesticide use. Rural transformations driven by livelihoods diversification have created conducive social spaces for pesticide application. To step out of pesticide dependence, promotion of genetic diversity in agriculture, a reassessment of locational suitability of conservation tillage, institutional strengthening and the promotion of integrated pest management methods are suggested.     

中国农业生态效率测度及时空差异研究

农业生态效率测度对于促进农业生态化和可持续发展具有重要作用。基于1993—2013年农业投入产出相关数据,采用劳动、土地、化肥、农药、农膜、机械动力、灌溉、役畜八类投入指标,农业碳排放和农业污染两类非期望产出指标以及农业总产值作为期望产出指标,利用SBM-Undesirable扩展模型测算全国、东中西、八经济区及省际农业(种植业)生态效率,并分解无效率项。结果显示:1样本期内中国农业生态效率总体呈现"降-升-降-升"平缓右偏型"W"结构,总体上中国农业生态效率趋于提升;2东中西部三个地区和八大经济区农业生态效率总体趋势与全国基本一致,但又各具特点,三区域中东部地区差异较大,八经济区中西北地区和西南地区差异较大;3省际农业生态效率总体上也存在差别,农业生态效率总体较高的省份既有上海、江苏等经济发达的沿海地区,又有贵州、新疆等经济落后地区。从效率损失结构来看,农业生态效率损失总体上主要是由投入冗余和非期望产出冗余导致的,但投入和非期望产出冗余内部结构又存在诸多不同。总体而言,化肥、农药、农膜过度使用及其负面作用在较多地区表现较为突出。农业生态效率测度实质是平衡农业投入、期望产出和非期望产出三者的关系,提升农业生态效率,促进农业生态化发展和可持续发展。同时,在农业生态效率评价中,要基于资源禀赋现实、基于要素替代关系、基于生态负面影响等,结合地区发展现实和不同的发展阶段进行相应调整,有区别地促进农业生态化发展。     

Assessment of a composting process for the treatment of beef cattle manure

The intensive breeding of beef cattle in Juncosa de les Garrigues (Catalonia, Spain) leads to the production of a large volume of manure that needs appropriate management. Land application in the area at agronomic rates is not enough to ensure good management practices, making necessary extended on-farm storage and the export of part of the production to long distances. In this context, the implementation of a collective treatment based on composting could help in enhancing the handling of manure. We assessed a full-scale composting process based on turned windrows (W), and involving treatment of beef cattle manure (CM) alone (two typologies were considered according to carbon-to-nitrogen ratios of ~25 (CM1, W1) and ~14 (CM2, W2)), or mixed with bulking agent (CM2/BA, W3) and dewatered digested sewage sludge (CM2/BA/DDSS, W4). Composting significantly improved the transportability of nutrients (final volumes were 40–54% of the initial volume). Temperature >55°C was reached in all the treatments but following different time patterns. Under the applied conditions of turning and rewetting, 14 weeks of processing did not ensure the production of stable, and mature, compost. Thus, only compost from W1 attained the maximum degree of stability as well as concentration of ammonium–N < 0.01% (with ammonium–N/nitrate–N ratio of 0.2) and low phytotoxicity. However, high pH, salinity, and heavy metal contents (Cu and Zn) may limit its final use. Addition of BA was advised to be kept to minimum, whereas use of DDSS as a co-substrate was not recommended in agreement to the higher loss of N and levels of heavy metals in the final compost.